A DARLINGTON man has launched a campaign in a bid to bring together councillors and residents for the good of the town he loves.

Lee Addison has set up an online forum as a ‘moderate voice’ for the community, in the wake of heated debate between town centre traders and Darlington Borough Council.

Recent months have seen traders campaign publicly against the authority, claiming parking policies around the town and issues such as pedestrianisation were having a negative impact on trade and town centre footfall.

In response to the increase in negative feeling, Mr Addison has set up Darlington: The Past, The Present and The Future, a Facebook group that aims to build bridges between councillors and the public while campaigning peacefully for the improvement of the town.

The 36-year-old is now inviting councillors and members of the public to get on board and is encouraging supporters to turn their Facebook profile pictures into the group’s logo, a black square with yellow lines.

He said: “I’ve noticed there are a lot of people with issues about the town and I want to use this project as a way for both the council and the public to get together and express their opinions.

“Not everyone can get to consultations and there needs to be somewhere people can ask questions and find out what’s happening – something to improve communication between the council and the public.

“We don’t want any bad feeling or accusations, just both sides getting their points across.

“We don’t want any inflammatory remarks, we want it to be a place where everyone can feel free to speak, a polite forum for discussion.

“There’s a full spectrum of concerns to address, from wheelie bins to budgets and road works.

“A sensible, calm approach will be the best way to progress and get things across and we’d like a healthy exchange of ideas.”

He added: “Not everybody thinks the council is bad, there are good people there who work hard but people need to know their opinions are being heard and someone is listening.

“I want people to know they have a voice and that their concerns are heard – this is a nice way of trying to engage people and councillors to try and resolve some of the bad feeling, all in the interests of our town.”

To get involved, search for Darlington: The Past, The Present and The Future on Facebook.